American cranberries, Vaccinium macrocarpon, are native plants of open, acid peat bogs in North America. Cranberry plants are evergreen perennial vines that produce runners and upright branches with terminal flower buds.
Cranberries have historically been harvested and either ingested as whole berries, such as in cranberry sauce, or have been processed for their juice. Pulp remaining after cranberry juice extraction processing has historically been regarded as an undesirable waste product with little or no utility.
In the United States, cranberries are grown and are harvested in the Northeast, Northwest and Great Lakes regions. Cranberries ripen and are harvested in Autumn, which has made cranberries a holiday food. Cranberries have not changed significantly in appearance and nutritional value over time. Cranberries have typically been stored by freezing or drying the whole berries.
Cranberries have become a popular food only in recent years because cranberries have a very bitter taste. Historically, processors have not dealt well with the taste. Cranberries are known to contain quininic acid. It is the quininic acid that imparts to cranberries, the bitter taste. Cranberry juice has become more palatable because it is blended with other sugar-containing aqueous liquids.
Apart from an undesirable taste, quininic acid is believed to have nutraceutical properties. When ingested, quininic acid is converted to hippuric acid. Hippuric acid is believed to remove toxins from the bladder, kidneys, prostate and testicles.